Peru captain Guerrero to miss World Cup due to drugs ban

CAS have today confirmed, however, that they have partially upheld the appeal filed by WADA against the decision issued by the FIFA Appeal Committee and banned the 34-year-old for 14 months, backdated to the start of his six-month ban, meaning he has a further eight months to serve.

Announcing the extension of the ban now ending in January 2019, CAS said it was the most appropriate course of action considering Guerrero's degree of fault in the matter.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has partially upheld the appeal filed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) against the decision issued by the FIFA Appeal Committee (the FIFA AC) on 20 December 2017 (the FIFA AC Decision) in which a 6-month period of ineligibility was imposed on the Peruvian football player Paolo Guerrero further to an anti-doping rule violation (presence of Benzoylecgonine metabolites). The captain pleaded his innocence saying the banned substance was ingested in contaminated tea.

The former Bayern Munich star has scored 32 goals in 86 appearances for Peru and was set to captain the team in its first World Cup appearance since 1982. On Sunday (Monday NZ time) he was named in his country's provisional squad preparing to play France, Denmark and Australia.

Guerrero was initially banned for 12 months after testing positive for cocaine metabolite benzoylecgonine following Peru'sWorld Cup qualifier with Argentina in October past year.

Guerrero, who has denied wrongdoing throughout, had also appealed to CAS to request the ban be annulled altogether.

News of extension of the ban was not well received among Peru fans.

Guerrero's initial ban by Federation Internationale de Football Association had expired this month after an appeal in December.

CAS said that Guerrero bore "some fault or negligence, even if it was not significant, and that he could have taken some measures to prevent him from committing an anti-doping violation".

It is the second ruling from sport's highest court that has weighed heavily on Peru's first World Cup appearance in 36 years. Without the three extra points, Peru would have fallen below Chile and Paraguay in the standings and out of contention.